The invention relates to low temperature vapor engines and in particular to improvements in vapor differential temperature engines which I have previously described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,841,097, 4,036,017, 4,036,019, 4,041,705, and 4,180,982.
A vapor engine functions to convert heat energy to mechanical energy through the flow of vapor from a relatively hot heat source to a relatively cold heat sink. In standard vapor engines the heat sources that can be practically utilized are above ambient temperatures. In contrast to standard vapor engines the differential temperature can be powered by heat sources of ambient temperatures. The requirement for relatively high temperature in standard heat engines is caused in part by the fact that the generation of vapor must overcome the resistance of atmospheric air. Differential temperature engines have not encountered atmospheric resistance because engine generates vapor in a chamber from which the air has been evacuated.
One shortcoming of an engine which operates in a chamber containing a vacuum is the fact that the force generated in the chamber containing the vacuum must often be transmitted to a force receiving means outside of the chamber. Standard mechanical links between the moving member inside the air evacuated chamber and an object outside of the chamber requires a perforation of the walls enclosing the air evacuated chamber. This increases the chances of an air leak from the atmosphere into the air evacuated chambers. Magnetic transmission through intact walls has been used. This is limited by the fact that a close proximity between the inside and outside magnetic interacting bodies must be maintained for an effective magnetic transmission. Flexible surfaces have been used, under certain conditions, to transmit movement from from the inside of a chamber to force receiving means outside of the chamber. This mode of transmission has, however, been limited by the fact that the flexible walls can only transmit forces which exceed atmospheric pressures. The main objective of the present invention is to provide a differential temperature engine with a flexible wall transmission mechanism that can can transmit forces which are both below and above atmospheric pressures from a chamber containing an air vacuum to a force receiving means in the atmosphere.